Machine for surfacing building units



April 18, 1950 F. w. KING 2,504,205

MACHINE FOR SURFACING BUILDING UNITS Filed 001.- 21, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheetl April 18, 1950 F. w. KING 2,504,205

MACHINE FOR SURFACING BUILDING UNITS Filed Oct. 21, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Patented Apr. 18, 1950 MACHINE FOR SURFACING BUILDING UNITS Foster W.King, Houston, Tex., assignor of onehalf to Jake E. Wiener, Houston,Tex.

Application October 21, 1946, Serial No. 704,547

2 Claims. (01. 25-1) This invention relates to a surfacing machine. Anobject of the present invention is to provide a machine of the characterdescribed specially designed for applying coating to building 7 units.It is another object of the present invention to provide a machine ofthe character described which will automatically apply and trowel thecoating material automatically.

The invention also comprehends means for beveling the side margins ofthe coating as the same is applied to provide the desired joint betweenthe building units when they are erected into a wall.

With the above and other objects in view the invention has particularrelation to certain novel features of construction, operation andarrangement of parts, an example of which is given in this specificationand illustrated in the accomunit showing the facing applied thereto.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals ofreference designate the same parts in each of the figures, the numeralsI, I designate the front legs and tire numerals 2, 2 designate the rearlegs of the supporting framework said legs being supported on a suitablebase of any selected type.

Mounted in transversely aligned bearings in the front and rear legs arethe front and rear transverse shafts 3 and 4, and fixed on these shaftsbetween said legs are the front and rear drums 5 and 6. I

Operating over these drums there is an endless belt, or carrier, 1.

The shaft 3 may be driven by any selected power unit so as to rotate'thedrum 5 to drive the belt I in the direction indicated by the arrows inFigure 1.

Between the drums 5 and 6 there is a table 8 which extends approximatelyfrom one drum to the other as shown in Figure 1 and which is somewhatwider than the belt, or carrier, I. This table is supported by the legs9 spaced apart therealong on each side and these legs may be supportedon a common base with the legs I and 2.

The upper run of the belt, or carrier, I moves along on this table 8, asindicated in Figures 1 and 3 and is thereby maintained in horizontalposition against sagging.

The building units In to be surfaced are de livered onto the forward, orfeed, end of the belt,

or carrier, and move along with it to the delivery end, the main load ofsaid unit, however, during the process of surfacing being supported bythe table 8.

On opposite sides of the belt, or carrier, I and converging upwardly arethe guide plates II, II. These guide plates accurately guide the unitsas they move along the table. The lower margins of the guide plates IIare hinged to move, on longitudinal axes, to the inner margins of theside anchor plates I2, I2. These anchor plates are arranged one on eachside of the table and are spaced above, and anchored to, the table bymeans of the series of upright bolts I3, I3 which are arranged in pairsthat are spaced apart from end to end of said anchor plates, as shownmore clearly in Figures 2 and 3. These bolts I3 are secured to thetable, at their lower ends, and their upper ends extend through theanchor plates and are secured thereto by clamp nuts, as I4, I4, so thatthe anchor plates may be adjusted as desired.

Upstanding from the anchor plate, and spaced apart therealong on eachside, are the standards I5 whose upper ends are provided with bearingsto receive the guide rods I6.

The inner ends of the guide rods I6 are pivotally connected to the guideplates I I and screwed onto their outer ends are the adjustable stopsI1.

Surrounding the guide rods IB and interposed between the correspondingstandards I5 and the guide plates II are the strong coil springs I8.

The inner margins of the anchor plates I2 are spaced apart a distancesomewhat greater than the transverse diameter of the building unit to besurfaced and therefore the guide plates I I converge upwardly andcontact the building unit being surfaced only at the upper cornersthereof being held in yielding contact therewith by the springs I8. Theupper margins of the guide plates I I extend slightly above the buildingunit passing between said plates, as is shown in Figure 3 and for apurpose to be hereinafter explained.

There is another set of standards arranged in pairs, the standards ofthe respective pairs being indicated by the numerals l9, I9; 20, 2n; 2!,2|; and 22, 22. The standards of the respective pairs are arranged oneon each side of the machine, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

The upper ends of these standards are provided with transversely alignedbearings and between the standard of the respective pairs are thetrowels 23, 24, 25 and. 26. The forward margins of the trowels areprovided with laterally extended pintles, such as 21 which are rotatablein the corresponding bearings. The rear margin of the trowel 26 is heldspaced slightly above the upper margin of the guide plates II by theupstanding stops 28, 28 which are shown more accurately in Figures 1 and3 but the rear margins of the other trowels rest on theupper margins ofsaid guide plates. They are held in yielding contact with said uppermargin of the side plates, and stops 28, by the pull springs 29, 29; 30,30'; 3|, 3i; and 32, 32. The upper ends of these pull springs areattached to the corresponding ends of the trowels and their lower endsare attached to the outer sides of the guide plates H, as shown inFigures 1 and 3. The forward end of one of the anchor plates [2 iswidened laterally and upstanding from this laterally widened portion 33there are the legs 34, 34 and mounted to rotate in longitudinallyaligned bearings in the upper ends of these legs there is a shaft 35.Fixed on the rear end of this shaft there is a disc 31. A connecting rod38 is pivotally connected, at one end, to the adjacent pintle of thetrowel 2B and is pivotally connected, at its other end, to the disc 31at an eccentric point so that as the disc 31 rotates it will oscillatethe trowel 26 transversely with respect to the building block beingtreated.

The pulley 3% and shaft 35 are driven from a belt 39 which operates overthe pulley 35 and also over a pulley 50 which is fixed on the forwardend of a longitudinal shaft 4!. This shaft is mounted to rotate insuitable hearings in the framework and fixed on its rear end is a pulley42 over which a belt 43 operates, said belt being driven from a pulley44 which is' fixed on the main drive shaft 3.

The surfacing material may be applied to the building units l in anypreferred manner. It is contemplated that a special type of surfacingmaterial will be applied which will not only render the treated surfaceof the unit water proof but will also impart to the unit a smooth,glazed surface of any selected tint.

It is preferred, however, to deliver the surfacing materialautomatically and continuously to the units as they pass through themachine. For that purpose a container, such as 45 has been providedwhich is supported above the forward, or feed, end of the machine. It ispreferably cylindrical in shape. Within, and closing, the containerthere is a piston 46 which is fixed to an externally threaded piston rod41. Fixed to the open end of the container 65 there is a suitablebracket '38 within which there is to swivel a nut ts which is threadedonto the piston rod 47. The

outer end of this nut is formed into a pulley B which is in alignmentwith a corresponding pulley 5i which is fixed on the shaft M. A belt 52operates over the pulleys 50, 5| and transmits rotation to the formerfrom the latter. As the nut 49 is thus rotated the piston 46 will bemoved inwardly against the material filling the container 45.

Leading from the other end of the container there is a flexible hose 53which terminates in a laterally widened discharge nozzle 54 which ismounted slightly above the top surface of the blocks moving along thecarrier 1.

The surfacing material will thus be fed onto the top surface of thebuilding units ID in ad Vance of the trowel 26 and this trowel willdistribute the finishing material evenly on the sur facing material andthis finishing material will be successively moved and pressed againstthe units by the finishing trowels 25, 24 and 23 and as the units aredischarged the surfacing process will be completed.

The top surfaces of the building units should be moistened before thefinishing material is applied thereto and this material is of suchcomposition and nature that it will unite with the material of thebuilding units and will permanently adhere thereto.

It may be here stated that the bracket 68' is detachable from thecontainer 4'5 so that when it is desired to refill the container thebelt 52 may be removed from the pulley 58 and the last mentioned pulleyturned in the reverse direction to withdraw the piston 46 to startingposition and the brackets 68 may then be removed to permit a refillingof the container and then reattached to continue the process as aboveexplained.

It is to be further understood that if desired the container 45 may besupported in a vertical position rather than horizontal as shown and.gravity thus used to feed, or assist in filling the surfacing materialto thesurfaces of the building units.

The drawings and description are illustrative merely while the broadprinciple of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A surfacing machine for surfacing building units, and the like,comprising, an endless belt forming a carrier, means for driving thecarrier, plate-like elements spaced apart one on each side of thecarrier, a plurality of trowels above the plates arranged to trowelsurfacing material applied to the upper faces of the units and means foroscillating one of said trowels transversely.

2. A surfacing machine for surfacing building units, and the like,comprising, a carrier for supporting said units, means for driving thecarrier, guide plates spaced apart one on each side of the carrier andwhich converge upwardly and whose upper margins extend above the topsurfaces of the units on the carrier, a transverse trowel above theplates arranged to trowel surfacing material applied to said uppersurface and means for oscillating the trowel.

FOSTER W. KING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 814,382 Lynn Mar. 6, 19061,782,820 Hardgrove Nov. 25, 1930 2,329,378 Kuehner Sept. 14, 1943

